


Universe Was Wrong

by ScarTissue



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Set after The Avengers, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, before anything else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-20
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-08-09 21:45:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7818421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScarTissue/pseuds/ScarTissue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For @starswatching!!</p><p>Tony has long hidden his mark, his heart, and just about anything else by bailing before things (people) got too close to handle. He might not get away this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Universe Was Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> (Some people found this a bit confusing- Tony and Steve are soulmates, but Tony thinks Steve soulmate was Bucky, and the pressures of being on the team/being around Steve start to get to him so he attempts to leave the group, and faces some unexpected retaliation. Steve's words are “Welcome to your future, Cap.” and Tony's are “This isn’t my future.” and Steve doesn't realize this at first because he's heard that a lot. Sorry!)

Tony Stark has many things, but foresight has never been said to be one of them.

 

“I do _not_ understand why you do these things,” Pepper hissed through his cell phone (Stark phone? What had he wanted to call them again? Stark cells?), tone unhindered by the beta versions tinny speaker. Her voice dripped red venom in a way so familiar it ought to be comforting by now, but instead it made the hair on the back of his neck stand up as tall as it had the first time she snapped her pearly white fangs at him. He loved her, but that woman could terrify him from across a highway at rush hour. Especially then, actually, even though he had opted to take a taxi from the tower to the airport today. The driver seemed preoccupied with the radio, or at least pretending to be, so he sunk back into the upholstery and tried to ride whatever this was out smoothly.

 

“Technically I didn’t _do_ anything this time, “ Tony felt the need to point out. He usually got in trouble for opening his (big, fat, rich boy, need anything else?) mouth, why would keeping it shut have cost him anything? “And you’re going to have to be more specific on the definition of things. Have I bought an island in disputed territory? Built another suit that can spit fire when I wasn’t thinking? That only happened once-”   
  
“ **_TONY_ ** .” _Oh boy_. “You,” Pepper breathed in deeply, in and out fully, the way she did when truly exasperated, not unlike a certain nanny Howard had employed. Pepper didn’t care to use a switch though, except that one time he’d asked very nicely. “You,” she continued, “have sat through an entire meeting, silent, and let those fools run amok with you. You let yourself be devalued, you damn-”

 

“Pepper what the fuck?”  
  
“The meeting. The _list._ You want to replace yourself.”   
  
Oh, that thing. Tony scratched his words idly, wondering if they itched for a larger soulmate-magic-run-amok reason, or he just needed to wash his clothes. It was though. Running amok.   
  
“Pepper,” he began carefully, because he really should have prepared a speech for this- he had everything else planned out, but he never planned for Pepper’s love. It looked like anger, more often than not, and he wasn’t always sure it was there, especially after the “You don’t have my words and that’s fine, but I think we’re better as friends anyway, also let’s talk about the robot thing” conversation. But she made sure he slept and fed himself, and he let her control her own salary straight from the account, and she had never even threatened to leave, so…

 

“Pepper. You knew this couldn’t last. I’m not... “  
  
“A team player? An superhero? _Ironman_ ? I don’t believe this bullshit Tony!” Pepper paused again, and Tony could nearly see her rubbing her face like she was scrubbing away the stress lines. Tony watched the driver continue to fiddle with the radio. “You don’t have to tell him,” she finally said. “He won’t ever find out, if you’re careful. You’re not- You’re not hurting him, if you’re there. They need you.”   
  
“Ha. Thats a good one.”It was beginning to rain, and the drops were _tat tat tating_ on the window quietly. Tony plugged in his headphones, and studiously glared down at his phone. Things like this sealed the deal for him. Who needs a hero who can’t even watch the rain for too long? Who needs a partner that can’t keep their shit together because of some goddamn water?   


“I’m not asking you to agree with me, Pepper. Tony’s a fuck up is everyone’s favorite story and you know it- I’m just saving them the trouble.”   
  
Pepper sighed. “I don’t agree with you. But I wish you would think this through.”   
  
“I’ve thought quite a bit, for once.”

 

“No, you haven’t.” She said firmly. “Or you would make a different decision. Ca- He needs you. The universe said so.”  
  
“Universe was wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time.”   
  
  
{}{}{}{}{}{}   
  
  
“You can’t be doing this.”   
  
“Actually, I can.” Tony snapped. Pepper could give him all the cheek she wanted, but he was not about to be snarked at by Natasha Romanoff, who would bail on this hot mess of an endeavor faster than he would if she was able. Even if Nat had the means and more than one motive to slice him six ways from sunday as it was.

 

“No, you can’t,” she spoke quietly. He thought she might be using her ‘super special spider assassin’ voice. Tony pulled the tape he was using out with a long _strrrrrp_ and set back to packing up all the spare parts in his Tower room. “None of us can, not really. You know they’ll track you down and use you until there's nothing left in that big brain of yours.”

 

Tony blinked. He hadn’t been expecting her to actually tell him the truth. It wasn’t quite her style, and it’s not like she had any tells. Her pale was face death mask still, narrow and serious. (It always struck him how much he liked that type of beauty- winter coloring, harsh, angled and somber. A soldier's face. A captain’s.)

 

“My big brain has plenty of competition in need of a paycheck,” he said easily. “I even made a list, presented it to Fury myself. My two weeks are already in, and I’m vacating the premises as soon as the next Stark fasthold has working plumbing.”   
  
“He wasn’t pleased, you know.” It was hard to tell if Nat was glaring or not sometimes. She only really softened around Clint, and he was nowhere to be found this week- some business about selling a farm that had been forced on him by an obscure relative.     
  
“He seemed fine. I can recompile-”   
  
“You don’t get it.” Nat bit her lip and her face seemed to scrunch in thought. “Fury… would be unhappy. To see you go. I think many of us would be.”   
  
“Psh,” Tony bit back a bitter laugh. “Tell Fury I’ll fund anything he deems “avengers business” as long as he needs.” He looked at Nat, realizing she might have meant something else. “You all get to keep the tower- its not contingent on me, or anything. I don’t want you to worry about having a- having this.”   
  
Nat simply stared at him. She looked like she wanted to step forward, or maybe lunge. “I would be unhappy to see you go. I don’t care about the tower.” Nat put her hand on the door knob and rubbed it absently. “I know things like- marks. Can be tricky. Painful. I don’t think you’ve looked at every side of the story yet.” She pivoted and spun out the door as quickly as she breezed in- he almost thought she was embarrassed.     
  
Tony didn’t really know what to make of that, so he went back to taping up his current box.

 

He’d seen every side of the story. It was time to admit he wasn’t apart of it.

 

{}{}{}{}{}{}

 

  
  
“Dad, look!” Tony ran across the museum floor at full speed, eyes bright and undaunted. He was very young, and _both_ his parents were taking him out today, and Howard Stark was in an exceptionally good mood. Which usually just meant he was mostly ignoring Tony, but he was too much of a loved child to know it right then, while Maria was still interested in him.   
  
“That’s the guy you helped build, right? He looks so cool!”   
  
“I wouldn’t say build,” Howard mused, while Maria wandered toward the plaque on the side of the mural. “More like enhance. You can’t build a person. Yet,” he added with a wink. He only did that when he thought Tony was being clever, and he beamed all the more for it.   
  
“He fought with his best friend in the war?” He ran his tiny fingers along the painted stone, tracing the outline of James Barnes’ strong jaw. “Did you help enhance him too?”   
  
“Oh no, just Steve. And I’ll tell you a secret,” Howard whispered, bending to whisper in his son’s ear. “Steve was more devoted to him than anyone I’d ever seen. They had to be soulmates. Just had to be. I think it’s why he fought so hard.”   
  
“Wow.” Tony moved his fingers from one man’s face to the other. “Will I find my soulmate someday?”   
  
“Of course.”   
  
{}{}{}{}{}{}

 

“Going somewhere?”

 

Tony halted in the his tracks, and softly bonked his head against the large box he was carrying. Just desserts for drinking into the evening and having to move things while he was buzzed.This, _this_ is why he had to leave. If he was around these people for too long, with the talking and the companionship and the _burgeoning warm found family_ nonsense, he might get used to it. And then they would leave, or get tired of him, or annoyed, or realize he was too big of a fuck up to keep around no matter what his bank account looked like or who his daddy was-

 

And he was afraid, that this particular time, he may not ever truly recover.

 

“Banner, I’ve taken a lot of flack this week,” He said, trying to not groan, “but if anyone understood the advantages of leaving a place, I thought it would be you. You know, with the hair trigger not so jolly green giant thing.”

 

He just huffed quietly at him. “I’ll admit it has it’s perks, cutting and running,” Bruce said gently, easing the box out of Tony’s hands. He did everything gently, all the time- that’s why Tony thought he might be his favorite. He had wanted someone gentle. He had dreamed of someone like Bruce, kind and in control, soft and tough all at once. Someone who could hold his heart without worrying about them breaking it. He had wanted to be **_loved_ ** _, goddamnit, why couldn’t he just be good enough for_ **_anyone_ ** _-_   
  
“I think you should sleep on it again,” Bruce half whispered. “I know this is hard for you.”   
  
Tony realized his eyes were stinging suddenly. He wondered if Bruce just said that because he probably smelled like gin. _Maybe I’m more than buzzed._ “What time is it?”   
  
“A little after one,” Bruce kicked the box aside and steered Tony back towards his room, hands yielding but firm.. “Let’s just go-”   
  
“Wheres Steve?”   
  
Bruce froze for a moment. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “Maybe he went with Clint.”     
  
“Heh. Steve n’ Clint on the farm, ey i ey i o-”   
  
“Okay, it’s really time for bed-”   
  
“I’m sorry,” Tony blurted out. He felt the words pressing up his throat into his mouth before he could stop it, and it only sounded a little slurred. “I’m sorry I’m like this. I’m sorry I can’t handle this.”   
  
Bruce sighed, closer to his neck than Tony had thought he was. He was half holding him from the side by now, caught in the threshold of his open door. “It’s okay, it really is. You… There’s nothing wrong with you, Tony. These things happen sometimes. It’ll get better.”   
  
Yes there is. And no, it won’t . “I wish it was you,” he murmured. He almost hoped he hadn’t heard him.   
  
Bruce sighed, breath ghosting Tony’s neck, and something strange happened- he spun Tony in a half circle and into his arms, and drew him into his chest, warm skinned and waiting, grip sure in the dark of the hall.

 

“I wish it was me, too.” Bruce walked Tony backwards almost like a dance, and shifted him into bed the way only soft men can, good men who should be fathers and husbands and lovers, not war machines.   
  
Bruce waited until Tony had rolled over and began to snuffle in his sleep before pressing a chaste kiss to his temple.     
  
“You will do _something_ ,” he said towards the open door. “You will do anything but be silent. You will do anything but be a coward, Steve Rogers.”   
  
“... I will,” Steve said softly.   


Bruce didn’t move from his spot.  “Get out.”

 

Captain America’s footsteps barely matched the beat of Tony’s heart as he strode away, mark burning on his chest.   
  
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}   
  
If he could go back, he’d say anything else. He’d rather live thinking his soulmate was just elusive, or maybe lost too young, anything but seeing Steve dangle in front of him everyday and never ever be able to have him, to even think he had a chance in hell.

 

  
_“Welcome to your future, Cap.”_   
  
_  
“This isn’t my future.”_

  
  


{}{}{}{}{}{}

  


Steve is there when he wakes up in the morning.   
  
Well, to be fair, he noticed someone had opened the curtains before he noticed anything else, and the pre-dawn lavender grey light was drifting into his room in a nice misty way that didn’t hurt his eyes just yet, but most likely would later. Next he was able to fumble around his nightstand for the glass of water Bruce must have set out, and then his fingers curled around three pain pill he left there himself the night before.   
  
Lastly, he struggled into a half curled over sitting position to find all 6’3 of Tall, tan, blond super hu-man Captain fucking America, his soulmate, in his corner chair.   
  
“AH- WHAT THE FUCK!? Why are you here holy shit-”   
  
“I’m sorry,” Steve said, entirely too calm for ass o’ clock in the morning.   
  
“You should be!” Tony half shouted. “Its six in the morning and you weren't even here last night, why the fuck are you Edward Cullening out in my armchair you- you-”   
  
“I was here.” Steve’s were fixed on his, and Tony felt he had to shift away from the intensity. He didn’t know if they had ever looked at each for too long without screaming at each other.   
  
“You what?” It was too early for this.   _Can’t I just die of fucking heartbreak in peace?_

 

“I was here,” Steve said again. He always sounded strong, Tony noticed even now, as his face colored and the waves of mortification rolled in. He was here. He was _here_ , he could’ve, he _must’ve_ \-   
  
“Oh no you don’t,” Steve reached out with infuriating ease and clamped his arms around Tony’s waist, nonplussed by his squirming. “Not letting you go again,” he whispered, mostly to himself.

 

Tony stilled. “Peggy,” he rasped, curling over again, like he was trying to protect himself. It was all he’d been trying to do. Steve felt like he was being punched in the gut- his soulmate was _afraid_ of him. “ _Bucky_.”

 

Steve sighed. “Yea,” he breathed, and tried to hold Tony in a way that felt more reassuring than crushing. “Yea. But it wouldn’t have worked. It wouldn’t have lasted. They weren’t _you_.”

 

“Ha. Me.” Tony was shaking in his arms, so Steve just held tighter. “You don't want me. I’m a liability out that suit. I’m impulsive and brash and I can’t swim anymore-”  
  
“You’re my _soulmate_ ,” Steve said firmly. “I’ve waited my whole life for you. I’m so- I’m so sorry I ever made you feel like you weren’t that. I judged you out of my own frustration.”   
  
Tony finally slumped back into his arms, and Steve took that as good an excuse as any to pull them back into the armchair. He gathered Tony in his lap and tucked his head in his neck best he could.   
  
“You’re my soulmate,” he murmured. “And you’ve gotta stay so I can fix this. So I can treat you right.”   
  
“I don’t deserve it.” Tony mumbled back into his skin, even as his fingers clutched Steve’s shirt tight enough to stretch it.   
  
Steve stroked his back slowly, and thought for a moment.“You do, but it doesn’t matter even if you didn’t.” Steve forced Tony to look up with two fingers on his chin, face fierce and eyes bright. They were go to war eyes, burn troy eyes. No one had ever looked at Tony like that before. “We belong to each other. I’m gonna love you anyway.”   
_  
_ _I’m gonna love you anyway._

 

  
{}{}{}{}{}{}   


  
At first kiss at sunrise isn’t the worst way to start something. Even if the universe might’ve been wrong.


End file.
